Quiet time
by Aingeal98
Summary: After the Quincy War is over, Ichigo and Rukia get a moment of peace together.


**A/N: Manga spoilers. Also: Ichiruki fluff with additional snark, because it's them.**

"How many weeks has it been?"

Rukia paused, her fingers still tangled in Ichigo's orange hair. He kept his eyes closed, his head resting in her lap. The grass beneath him was dry, and the sun was warm on his face. It was almost as good as his bed back home.

He felt a pang of longing go through him at the thought of Karakura. _Soon, _he promised himself. As soon as Soul Society no longer needed him, he was going to go straight home and hug his sisters as hard as he could, maybe even his dad if he wasn't acting too weird.

But for now, it was just him and Rukia. And she still hadn't answered his question.

"Three, I think." she said after a minute. "Maybe two and a half. It depends on whether you think the war ended after Juha Bach died, or after the last Quincies were rounded up."

Ichigo hummed, shuffling his head a little to indicate that she should continue running her fingers through his hair.

"Three weeks and the Seireitei's still standing." he mused. "That's gotta be a new record or something."

His head shook a little as she laughed. He opened his eyes to catch her smile. Rukia's genuine smiles, not her smirks or her falsely sweet ones, were rare enough for each one to have a special little place in his memory. If they didn't die in the next crisis that was surely going to happen because it was _them, of course_ there was going to be another emergency in the future, Ichigo decided he would spend some time figuring out how to make her smile more. Then again, she wouldn't be Rukia without her scowls and kicks to the face and the incredibly irritating tone of superiority she used when she taught him about shinigami stuff.

She was using it now, actually: "Believe it or not Ichigo, the Seireitei has lasted for thousands of years without your help."

"Then I suppose they don't really need me to stick around." he murmured, closing his eyes again.

"Well of course we need you right _now. _Everyone is still terrified and everything is in chaos. But it's not like we need you to fight anymore, just stand around and look confident and pretty. Apparently its 'reassuring' to the younger shinigami, Ukitake's words, not mine."

He grinned. "You think I'm pretty?"

Even with his eyes shut, he knew Rukia was rolling hers.

"Shut up. I didn't mean it like that."

He smirked. "Sure, sure, whatever you say."

She shoved his head off onto the grass. Luckily, the grass was dry and pleasant enough to lie on, so he didn't bother trying to get up.

"Sheesh, I was only joking. You need to relax more Rukia."

"Don't expect me to take life advice from the guy who's died at least twice."

"I'm still here aren't I?" he grinned.

She scowled at him, before turning to gaze up at the clouds. Ichigo waited a few seconds to make sure she'd calmed down, before placing his head back in her lap. Her fingers automatically started running through his hair again. Ichigo wasn't sure if she even realised what she was doing.

"It's strange." he said quietly. "Normally after the fight we say goodbye, and I go home until the next crisis. I keep waking up thinking that I'm back home and… I panic a bit."

Rukia was silent, her fingers still stroking his hair.

"I guess I'm kind of glad we don't have to say goodbye yet. I'm going to miss you."

He winced. That came out sappier than he intended. Luckily, Rukia moved them back into comfortable territory.

"Don't be a fool Ichigo. I know better now than to leave you alone for too long. You grow pathetic if I'm not there."

Ichigo would love to deny it and argue that he is fully capable of living his life without her, but seeing as she'd found him howling and sobbing in the rain after a year and a half apart, he didn't really have a leg to stand on. So he grew quiet again, listening to the sounds around him. When it came to nature, Soul Society was very different to the Living World. Here there were hardly any animals or insects. Only the wind rustled the leaves in the trees.

"We should probably head back soon." he said after a few minutes of peaceful silence.

"Why? I thought the Head Captain gave you the day off?"

"He did, but your brother gave me the stink eye when I told him what we were doing. If we're not back soon, he'll assume the worst and probably try to kill me."

"What? Nii-sama isn't that irrational."

"Rukia, Byakuya _hates _me."

"He does not!"

"He _poisoned _my food last time I ate with you."

"That was an accident! Nii-sama assured me that the servant who put the cyanide in those cookies was found and fired. Besides, Nii-sama understands what a strong and loyal shinigami you are. He respected you enough to entrust Soul Society's protection to you when he was dying."

"Well yeah, when shit hits the fan he's all: 'Please protect Soul Society Kurosaki Ichigo'. Then the second it's over he's back to calling me 'peasant' when he thinks I can't hear him."

"Look," Rukia sighed "If you're so scared of him I can stay with you every time you two have to talk. But I assure you, Nii-sama is far too practical to worry about what we might get up to alone."

"Who said I was scared?" Ichigo muttered defensively. Rukia shoved him off her lap again, but she did it slightly more gently than last time.

"Idiot." she muttered. "I can't believe Soul Society relies on you to save them all the time. Remember when I ambushed you and threw a bucket over your head? You crashed into the wall and almost fell out of your bedroom window. Yuzu thought a burglar had broken in and started a fight with you."

"That was the last time I let you watch one of those stupid hidden camera shows." Ichigo mumbled.

"Still not sorry I did it." she grinned evilly down at him. "I made I ton of money by selling the footage to your classmates. It was enough to buy the new Chappy plushie."

"Was that why no one could look me in the eye for a week and Inoue kept steering me away from all the windows?" She smirked, and Ichigo threw a handful of grass at her. "I hate you so much." he growled.

"Don't be so cold." she crooned, putting on her best hurt expression. He threw another handful of grass at her and she cracked, snickering as she flopped backwards onto the grass.

They lay there for a while, Ichigo muttering curses at her and Rukia laughing. She eventually sobered up when her fingers brushed against Ichigo's.

"When do you think you'll leave?" Her casual tone was so obviously forced that Ichigo almost wanted to call her out on it. He might have, if his own casual voice wasn't just as forced.

"I dunno." he replied "I don't really think I'll be needed for much longer, and long-term, there's no real reason for me to stay here."

She abruptly jerked her fingers away and flipped onto her side so that her back was to him. Ichigo turned and scowled at her.

"What?" She remained silent. "Don't tell me you're mad that I'm leaving? We both knew that there was no way I was staying here permanently."

Just when he thought that she would never talk to him, she turned around to face him, a plastic smile on her face.

"You're right. I don't know why I bothered asking. You're obviously not needed here."

He scowled.

"Don't give me that bullshit. What's wrong?"

Her smile was gone, and now she glared frostily at him.

"Don't make me say it." she growled.

"Say what?"

"Don't be such a moron. I'm not going to say it."

"Rukia, what the hell are you talking about?"

"You want me to say it? Fine. Maybe, just maybe,_ I_ wanted you to stay."

His eyes widened as he realised what she was saying.

"Oh."

"I don't anymore obviously. I just forgot for a second how much of an utter fool you were." The more she talked, the more flustered she seemed to get. Ichigo still wasn't sure what to say, or even if he should say anything.

She glared at him, her cheeks flushed. "Look, let's just forget this conversation every happened, ok?"

He couldn't help but smirk.

"Aw, Rukia, I didn't know you cared so much."

She turned and punched him in the ribs.

"_Shut up_."

"A Kuchiki with feelings? What would Byakuya say about that?"

She grabbed a handful of grass and tried to stuff it in his mouth. He grabbed her hands and tried to push her away, laughing as he did. They wrestled for a few minutes until both of them were covered in dirt and grass. When Ichigo finally shoved her off, her cheeks were still red, but the awkwardness between them was gone.

They lay in silence, but this time it was a comfortable one. Ichigo sighed in contentment. This was great. This was the life. He had the whole day to do nothing but laze in the sun. No shingami hounding him, no life-or-death battles, just peace and quiet.

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go kill some Hollows?"

"God yes."


End file.
